Safety goggle and lens-replacing locking stay



E. A. RING 3,031,674

SAFETY GOGGLE AND LENS-REPLACING LOCKING STAY May 1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1959 R. we N W MR A T S E N R E ATTORNEY y 1, 1962 E. A. RING 3,031,674

SAFETY GOGGLE AND LENS-REPLACING LOCKING STAY Filed Feb. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 64 64 v, F l G. 8

INVENTOR. e2 52 ERNEST A. RING F I G. 7 B

ATTORNEY United States The present invention relates to improvements in goggles and more particularly safety goggles of the type including a safety lens and a plastic frame or cover encircling the periphery of the lens.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety goggle wherein the construction permits facile replacement of the safety lens.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved goggle assembly including a flexible frame and a safety lens wherein the lens can be replaced without requiring the use of any tools.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved goggle assembly including a flexible frame and safety lens wherein the frame encircles the periphery of the lens and is held tensioned thereabout by means of a rigid locking bar or locking stay and yet wherein the stay includes a freely bendable portion which permits disengagement of the frame from the lens to replace the latter.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved goggle assembly including a flexible frame and a safety lens wherein a single unitary stay is utilized for holding the assembly together with the lens securely held within the frame, and yet wherein the stay atet includes a portion which can be manually bent to a posi tion in which the frame can be released from about the lens for replacement of the latter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved goggle assembly wherein a stay is provided for rigidly holding a flexible frame tensioned about a safety lens, wherein the stay includes a freely bendable retaining portionwhich can be bent between its retaining position and a releasing position for replacement of the lens several times without fracturing the joint between the bendable portion and the rigid portion of the stay.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description to follow.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of my improved g FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the goggle of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the improved goggle showing the manner in which the stay is utilized to connect the frame to the lens;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom plan view of the goggle of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of my goggle showing the stay partially engaged through the top wall of the frame;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 showing the annealed end portion of the stay bent to its locking position;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of my improved locking stay, per se; and

FIGURE 8 is a detail perspective View of the stay of FIGURE 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like numerals apply to like parts throughout, it will be seen that the goggle 10 is comprised of a flexible frame 12, a safety lens 14, a locking bar or strut 1'6, and an elastic band or strap 18 for holding the goggles on the head of the wearer so as to protect his eyes.

The frame 12 may be constructed from any suitable material, such as flexible plastic, examples being cellulose ice acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, which can be transparent, translucent or opaque. The frame 12 is formed by cutting a strip of the flexible material to a desired shape and then joining the ends so as to form an endless loop or by molding to obtain the same result. The frame 12 includes an edge portion 2% in the form of a flange having an internal peripheral groove 22 formed therein for receiving the safety lens 14.

The frame 12 includes a top wall 24, side walls 26, bottom walls 28 and a bridge wall 30. The Walls just described have their inner edges shaped to conform to the surface of the wearers face about his eyes and over the bridge of his nose, as is conventional. Moreover, the inner edges of the walls terminate in flexible flanges 32 and 34 for better fitting against the Wearers face. The openings 36 are provided for ventilation purposes as is conventional.

The side walls 26 of the frame 12 are formed with integral substantially rectangular bosses at 38 having openings therethrough at 40 for receiving the head strap 13 therethrough.

The head strap 18 has its ends formed with loops at 4-2 and 44 for connection with the bosses 49 on the frame and a buckle is provided at 46 for adjusting the head band or strap 18 as is conventional.

The top wall 24 of the frame 12 is formed with slot formations including the slit 48 on one side of the flange 20 and the aperture 50 adjacent the flang'e'20 but on the opposite side thereof from the slit 48. The slot formations 48 and 5t are located at the center of the top wall 24 and are for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

As seen best in FIGURES 3 and 4, the bridge wall 30 of the frame is narrowed so as to have its minimum Width substantially equal to the width of the flange 20. The notch at 52 constitutes a slot formation for a purpose presently to be described.

The lens 14 is a safety lens and may be made from any suitable material such as glass, but preferably the lens is made from acrylic resins which materials are substantially nonafogging, clear and non-distorting, resistant to scratching and not liable to shatter or splinter under impact by heavy articles of metal or abrasives. The lens 14 is formed to a preselected shape which is generally of double ovate-orbicular outline as shown best in FIG- URES 1 and 4. As is conventional, the lens 14 includes the two panels 54 and 56 which are at a slight angle to each other so as to provide optimum unobstructed vision and prevent glare. 7

Reference is now made to FIGURES 7 and 8 for a detailed description of the locking bar or locking stay 16. The stay 16 is formed from a relatively hard wire-like stock and includes a main body portion 58 and laterally extending ends at 64} and 62. The end 62 is preferably arcuated so as to have a terminal portion 64 generally reversely directed, that is, toward the other end of the main body portion 53. The entire end 62, 64, as well as the main body portion 58, is sufliciently rigid so as to withstand manual bending of the terminal portion 66.

The other end 60 extends substantially perpendicularly from the main body portion 58 and also is sufficiently rigid to withstand manual bending with respect to the main body portion 58. A terminal portion 66 of the end 60* is flattened and heated so as to be annealed with- *out affecting the physical characteristics of the end 69 and the remainder of the stay 58. The terminal portion 66 is thus quite ductile and sufliciently pliable to be manually bent without bending the end 60 with respect to the main body portion 58.

Looking now at FIGURES 4 through 6, the manner in which the assembly of the goggle is effected and replacement of a lens accomplished will now be described. The

lens 14 is engaged within the flange groove 22 of the frame 12, and when so inserted, the frame will assume the relationship shown in FIGURE 4 with the bridge portion of the flange substantially spaced from the indented bridge portion 68 of the lens 14. Next the hook-like end portion 62, 64 of the stay 16 is engaged about the bridge wall of the frame 12, and by pressing the bridge wall 30 upwardly with the stay 16, the terminal portion 66 is engaged up through the slot formation 48 over the flange 20 to the relationship shown in FIGURE 5. The substantially rigid end portion 60 will thus hold the assembly together with the frame tensioned about the lens and pressed against the entire periphery of the lens. Thereafter, the terminal portion 66 can be manually depressed so as to engage through the slot formation or aperture 50 to the relationship best shown in FIGURE 6. When thus assembled, the tension of the frame is inadequate to bend either of the end portions 6% or 62, and moveover, the end portions 60 and 62 are substantially resistant to manual bending. When it is desired to re place the lens 14, it is merely necessary to reverse the above operation by easily manually bending the terminal portion 66 upwardly to the position shown in FIGURE 5, after which the stay can be dislodged from over the lens, as will be obvious. A new lens can be inserted and the same'stay utilized to reconnect and lock the frame about the new lens. The locking stay 16 although having a bendable, annealed end portion 66 and a rigid laterally extending end 60, is susceptible of being bent several times Without fracture, which is advantageous for the intended purpose.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by these claims.

I claim:

1. A goggle comprising a frame formed from flexible material including portions providing a top wall, side walls, bottom Walls, and a bridge wall, said frame including a groove providing a lens-receiving opening, a lens of generally double ovate-orbicular edge outline providing a narrow bridge portion, said lens being received in said groove with the bridge wall of said frame spaced from said lens bridge portion, and a stay including a main body portion of a length substantially equal to the width of the lens as measured across the narrow bridge portion, said main body portion having laterally extending ends sufficiently rigid to withstand manual bending with respect to said main body portion, said laterally extending ends being engaged with said frame top wall and bridge wall at the groove so as to hold the frame in tension with its groove conforming to and engaged about the lens periphery, one of said laterally extending ends being reversely bent toward the opposite end so as to provide a rigid hook-like end forengagement with the frame about the cooperative lens edge portion, and the other of said laterally extending ends having a manually bendable extension normally generally extending toward said one end so as to hold said frame about the cooperative lens edge portion and bendable to a position permitting release of the frame from the lens.

2. A goggle comprising a frame formed of flexible material including portions providing a top wall, side walls, bottom walls, and a bridge wall, said frame including a groove providing a lens-receiving opening, a lens of generally double ovate-orbicular outline pro-viding a narrowbridge portion, said lens being received in said groove with the bridge wall of said frame spaced from said lens bridge portion, said frame having slot formations therein at preselected points in the top wall and bridge wall thereof adjacent the groove, and a stay inoludirn a main body portion of a length substantially equal to the width of the lens as measured across the narrow bridge portion, said main body portion having laterally extending ends sufficiently rigid to withstand manual bending with respect to said main body portion, said laterally extending ends being engaged through said slot formations so as to hold the frame in tension with its groove conforming to and held against the lens periphery by said laterally extending ends, and at least one of said laterally extending ends having a manually bendable extension normally holding the frame from disengagement from the lens and bendable to a position permitting release of the frame from the lens.

3. A goggle comprising a frame formed from flexible material including portions providing a top wall, side walls, bottom Walls, and a bridge wall, said frame including a groove providing a lens-receiving opening, a lens of generally double ovate-orbicular outline providing a'narroyv bridge portion, said lens being received in said groove with the bridge wall of said frame spaced from said lens bridge portion, and a metal stay formed of wire-like stock including a main body portion of a length substantially equal to the width of the lens as measured across the narrow bridge portion, said main body portion having laterally extending ends sufliciently rigid to withstand manual bending with respect to said main body portion, said laterally extending ends being engaged with said frame top wall and bridge wall at the groove so as to hold the frame in tension with its groove conforming to and engaged about the lens periphery, one of said laterally extending ends being reversely bent toward the opposite end so as to provide a rigid hook- =like end for engagement with the frame about the cooperative lens edge portion, and the other of said laterally extending ends having a flattened, annealed extension portion manually bendable between a first position generally extending toward said one end holding the frame from disengagement from the lens and a second position permitting disengagement of the frame from the lens.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,388,574 Ring Nov. 6, 1945 2,391,349 Ring Dec. 18, 1945 2,584,934 Splaine Feb. 5, 1952 2,603,785 Splaine July 22, 

